Lamp-cover.



No. 663,306. Patented Dec. 4, I900. H. S. TOMPKINS.

LAMP coven. (Application filed Aug. 23. 18994) (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

HARRY S. TOMPKINS, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LAM P-COVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,306, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed August 23.1899. Serial No. 728,162. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY S. ToMPKINs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lamp-Covers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide a convenient, durable, and well-fitting cover for vehicle-lamps, and more particularly carriage-lamps; to obtain a close fit upon the lamp and to enable the bottom of the cover to be drawn tightly together below the lamp; to provide a cover which can be fitted equally well to a lamp with a short stem or a long stem and whether the supporting-arm projects from the extreme lower end of the lamp or from a higher point; to produce a cover which when made in a series of sizes can be used upon lamps of various forms, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the several parts.

The invention consists in the improved lamp-cover and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved lamp-cover. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectiouof the same, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the blank from which the said cover is formed.

In said drawings, a indicates the body of the cover-,which is of an elongated form adapted to be pulled down over thelamp from above and inclose said lamp. Any suitably-flexible fabric may be used in the construction of the cover, said fabric being preferably waterproof, so as to keep the rain and dampness from the lamp, as well as dust and dirt. The

decorated and finished metal portions of the lamp are thus kept from defacement or rust when not in actual use, and the lamp will last for a much longer time than when neglected and exposed to the weather.

The lower or main portion 1) of the body of my improved lamp-cover is preferably approximately cylindrical under normal conditions, open at the lower end, as at c, and somewhat tapered at the top d, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

At the extreme lower edges of the body a the fabric composing the same is folded or returned inward upon itself, forming a hem e, which gives a finish to the lower end of the body and also strengthens the margin of thesame to receive eyelets f. Said eyelets are disposed in said doubled portion at suitable intervals around the body a and serve to receive a cord or draw-string f, while at the same time they fasten the returned portion 6 in place. The said cord f is threaded in and out through the eyelets alternately, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and thus when the ends of said string are drawn upon the bottom edges of the body a of the lamp-cover will be gathered into vertical plaits or folds, as indicated at g, Fig. 1, which will by further draft upon the cord be drawn flat against one another, and th us close together the walls of the lower end of the cover. It will be understood that the goods of which I preferably form my lampcover is so heavy that it could not be drawn to a closure at the bottom by an ordinary inclosed shirr-string, and. thus the arrangement of the cord f in the eyelets f, as described, is a very important feature of the invention, since it allows the opening 0 at the lower end of the cover to be entirely closed.

At one side the main portion 1) of the body of the cover is provided with a verticalslit h, extending from the bottom half-way, more or less, upward to the extreme top of the lamp-cover. At the edges of said slit h the fabric is turned inward, as at h, to form a stronger and neater edge, and in said doubled edge are inserted eyelets 1", through which the ends f' of the draw-string f may be laced to close the said slit h. Said slit not only onables the lamp-cover to be more conveniently and readily placed on the lamp, but, furthermore, serves to receive the projecting arm or bracket which supports the lamp. Said arm may protrude through the slit at any point,

either high up or low down, depending upon the style of the lamp, and in any case the slit may be eifectually closed by lacing it together above and below said arm and tying the extremities f of the string at the top. The eyelets vi, in connection with the vertical slit h, are preferably farther apart than the eyelets f around the bottom, so that since the slit must be laced and unlaced to put on and take oh? the lamp-cover less trouble will be occasioned.

A gusset or strengthening-piece k is disposed at the upper end of the slit h to prevent tearing. The upper end d of my lampcover I form tapering, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, whereby a neater fit and more pleasing appearance is secured and also the cover is'better adapted to shed rain, snow, or the like without afiording wrinkles or depressions for the lodgment of the same. This tapering upper end cl I secure by means of projecting tongues "n on the blank 0, from which the cover is formed, as shown in Fig. 3. These projectionsn may be of any desired number with out departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; but I prefer to use four, as shown. Said projections taper from their bases upward, as at n, to form the inclined or beveled faces of the tapering end d of the lamp-cover, and the extreme end m of the projection 71 is made square in the quadruple construction shown, so that when the four projections are bent inward toward one another in forming the cover the said ends on may all be folded inward into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2, where said ends on lie upon one another, thus forming in the finished cover a quadruple thickness at the square top.

In some cases I may vary the shape of the projections '11 to produce an oblong rectangular top, and in this construction the ends 42 may not entirely overlap one another, excepting sufficiently for fastening. Again, I may sometimes prefer to cut ofi some or all of said ends 72, except suificient to form a lapel for fastening to the other parts, and thus reduce the weight of said top. A lining q, of chamois-skin or any other soft material, is ordinarily placed on the inner side of the top, and it will be evident that, if desired, said lining may extend farther over the interior of the cover.

The blank 0 is preferably formed into the cover-body a by cementing together the connecting edges in any suitable manner, and for this purpose said blank is provided at one side of its main portion with the lapel r, and

the projections 17. have lapels s, all said lapels being adapted to underlie the meeting edges when the cover is formed and be cemented or joined thereto in any ordinary manner. Under some conditions cemented 0r vulcanized joints may not be sufficiently strong to withstand the strain brought upon them in drawing the cover down over the lamp, and the lines of joining will then require to be sewed. In this case I form additional lapels r and 8 upon the blank, as indicated in outline in Fig. 3, so that all meeting edges are provided with lapels which can be brought flatwise together in an inwardly-projecting position and receive a line of stitching passing through both lapels.

By my construction thus described I provide a neat, simply constructed, and yet very effective lamp cover and, moreover,one which can be systematically manufactured in various sizes and be carried in stock for different sizes and forms of lamps, a single size of my cover being adapted by its peculiar construction to be used equally well on any form .of lamp of that approximate size.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. A lamp-cover formed of flexible waterproof material and comprising a body portion adapted to be drawn down over a lamp, said body portion having a-tapering top formed by a plurality of independent tapering projections on the body portion and integral therewith, said projections being bent inward toward one another and having their adjacent edges connected for a portion of their lengths, the free extremities being folded horizontally upon one another and forming a flat top for the lamp-cover, and means for closing together the lower end of the cover below the lamp, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described blank for a lampcover, comprising a body part having at one end thereof integral tapering projections independently projectingfrom the same straight line as the base, lapels at the sides of said body part and tapering projections for joining adjacent edges in forming the cover, and terminal extensions on the said tapering projections adapted to fold into superposed position in the completed cover, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of August, 1899.

, HARRY S. TOMPKINS. Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, O. B. PITNEY. 

